that is thursday night at 9:00 p.m. that is it for today. have a great week and we'll see you next fox news sunday. >> john: winning the presidency, what does it take? a strong debate? >> it's the theater of politics and trying to get people come into the theater and see if they like it. >> you have to see the campaigns in the lens of the camera. >> campaigns are made of moments that everybody remembers. >> the difference between a hockey mom and pig, lipstick. >> and they would like to forget. >> education and what is the third one there? >> john: we take you behind the

scenes. we'll show you what they don't like to talk about. >> the lying is okay in politics? winning the presidency. ♪ ♪ >> john: when it comes to winning the presidency, i'd like to think that the choice is about whose ideas are better but when you talk to people behind the scenes they talk about moments. >> there are a series of moments and that's what matters. >> john: remember the scream? howard dean led john kerry in early polls but then he tried to rally the troops. >> we're going to california, texas and new york. >> john: people in the room sounded like a normal rally, but because dean's microphone picked

up only dean's voice the tv broadcast made him sound crazy. even images mean matter more than issues. this is said to have helped bill clinton. in 1980 republican primary george bush had momentum against ronald reagan until the debate. there was a moment where reagan looked strong. >> john: that moment helped change the campaign. >> read my lips. [ applause ] >> incidents between a hockey mom and pit bull, lip stick. >> others is seize ago moment you didn't expect to happen. >> there you go again. >> most moments so far this election has been poorly fliazed comments. >> if you got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen.

>> i like being able to fire people and put services to people. >> they call them gaffes but the media don't know. when ed uskie lost the '72 primary, everyone said candidates can't cry because that is weak, but then in 2008, hillary clinton cried. >> i have so many opportunities in this country. >> she begin to tear up. her voice cracked. she showed being human. [ applause ] >> this is very personal for me. >> people perceive that as weakness. i think they will. >> it makes her look like the campaign is in trouble. >> the days before, clinton showed was showed ten points behind. the next day she beat obama in

new hampshire. >> she tears up and that moves 11 points in one day. >> she showed more authenticity and think voters were atrooktd that. >> john: authenticity is rare in politics and presidential campaigns and they strive to control everything by the consultants. bob beckel has counseled hundreds of candidates. >> it's theater of politics and trying to get people come into the theater and take a look and see if they like your play. >> john: here in cleveland the romney campaign is preparing. they are trying to get lots of people to watch. >> let's tighten that out a little bit. >> one presidential campaign in the fall involves 400 people, advance people, setting up the stage. >> check, one, two. >> a presidential campaign stop involves a lot of hard work.

>> john: most are paid to do this. some are volunteers. the planning starts days early. >> we send people driving around and asking people, can we use campus green. >> bill ritter is director of operations for mitt romney. campaign staff make sure the right number of people show up. hillary clinton's campaign was run by patty. >> you make phone calls. you do robo calls. >> john: hillary is going to be here. do they show up? >> yes. >> john: they even advertise in the sky. >> see if the plane company can do this flash. >> john: because if the arena is bigger than the crowd it looks bad. >> the football stadium seems about 80,000 people. romney had about a thousand people in the crowd making it look like a flop.

>> john: it's ritter's job to make sure it doesn't happen. >> we are painting part of the backdrop of the shot. >> john: they are obsessed about every sign and camera angle. >> we'll take cameras and set them up on risers we send to the press and make sure the angles are right. you notice about signs, they are always in perfect position for the television cameras for them to pick them up. >> because the way the cameras work we have 40 foot banners. we cover buildings to get the tight shots. >> the first thing he walks past and he goes to the stage. >> john: what difference does it make? >> visuals matters so much. cameras need lights and sound.

>> the message stays here with two or three thousand people if we fail. >> john: so they monitor the events as they happen. >> you are live on all the cables. can i get more hand signs from the crowd? >> john: setting up one event may take weeks. >> it may last ten minutes. >> we'll be on the road and it goes in a truck. >> john: do you ever sleep or shower or smell bad? >> it was basically three days with no sleep, no showers. >> john: always with the fear that one simple mistake, a poorly chosen image can destroy a campaign. >> he didn't want to wear a helmet.

i heard his body man tell the lead advance person, he doesn't want to wear a helmet. he understood that wasn't going to be a good television shot. >> steve murphy worked with dukasis. >> they will not let you ride in the tank without wearing a helmet. >> john: it turned into this commercial. >> do ads like that really work. consultants think they do. they still rave about this ad. it ran only once, they say it changed all campaigns. it was the first negative ad to use fear and raw emotion. >> ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one --.

>> these are the stakes we must either love each other or we must die. >> vote or die, pretty relevant. >> john: but pretty unfair. >> he worked on the bush campaign that ran this ad consoling 9/11 victims. >> i took ashley in my arms and embraced her. it was that moment we saw her eyes fill up with tears. >> you are playing this music and we are supposed to vote for this guy because she tears up. >> that is exactly what they did. the ad aired in ohio and it was pivotal. >> john: this ad also was aired. >> more men and women will go to work than ever before in our history. >> i see this ad coming on television. it's this farmer and beautiful

pasture. they put their hands over the hearts. i stood up and put my hand over my heart. the line is re-elect ronald reagan. are you kidding me? that is bliat amount and good. you may think that is corny, but let's face it. you think everything is corny but if you can get an image like that it matters. >> there are two kinds of arguments, one is an intellectual argument and emotional argument. >> john: he happened to see a wendy's ad. >> they were trying to convince people they have more beef. >> where is the beef? >> you were at home watching tv with your girlfriend and you saw this ad. yeah, i saw the ad and it was my girlfriend to me, that reminds me of gary hart. what he is all about.

it clicked. its comment from a girlfriend that triggered in my mind that mated sense that was the next poll. it tested well. >> so mondale used it in the debate? >> where is the beef? >> they spent the money on the ad campaign to give me an opening line. >> john: that made a difference? >> it changes it overnight. it confirmed in people's minds something that was on their minds, is this guy really up to it. does he have the experience to it. hart who had been on such an offensive all of a sudden has to be on defensive and he doesn't handle it very well. >> john: there were several things that hart didn't handle very well. >> he was reeling and we came right back in which was the red phone. >> most powerful responsibility in the world lies in the hand

that picks up this phone. >> john: they used emotion to sell the idea that gary hart was style and not substance. >> vote as the future of the world is at stake. >> john: decades later. your children are safe and asleep. >> hillary clinton's use the same theme to attack barack obama. >> in this case it was barack obama. we said to gary hart it's 2:00 in the morning. yeah, did they steal it from us? absolutely. >> john: it's more likely to be a direct attack. americans say we don't like these attacks, but they do work. in the swing states they now run all the time. >> if you are hearing me approve this message, believe me so am i. >> i'm barack obama, eye i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> john: however, most of you

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>>. >> john: political parties spend millions trying to persuade to you vote for their candidate but a wnru is more to it than just

convincing you. first, it's whether you are worth convincing. >> the art of politics is to target those people who are with you at the beginning and leave them alone until they voted. target those that are against you and focus everything you can on those that are persuadable. >> john: that is about 10-20%. >> it's about down to 10%. so the art of defining 10% is key. >> john: nobody does that is better than karl rove. he calls it microtargeting and that was credited with winning the 2004 election. >> what magazines, what car they own. >> we had a microtargeted voter file in which we had household information about them. we knew what car they had. >> republicans most often drive

mustangs and mercedes, democrats are more likely to own a volvo or honda or nissan. they watch different tv shows. >> you have to pay taxes for the rest of your life. >> liberals are more likely to watch law and order. >> tonight, pbs will not be the worst think on television. >> what difference does that make. >> if you wanted to reach an independent swing woman voter by the house and garden channel, if you want to reach a republican leaning law bu less likely to vote swing manning guy the golf channel. >> he did research on blacks who might vote for bush and many are christians that watch these tv preachers. >> now in the name of jesus, i command this debt out of my life.

>> so he placed advertisements there. >> in ohio, bush got 8% of the african-american voted. in 2004 he got 16%. because we were able to identify their history was overwhelmingly democratic we had clues they might be reachable. >> this year they want to reachg voters in these ten states. >> you take a map of the united states and you just cross them out. we can't win here. >> john: for most of us really don't count. we live in the wrong state. i live in new york. my state votes will go to obama. if all new york swing voters shift their votes. if you live in texas, same deal. doesn't matter how voted for, texas will go to romney. >> why campaign in the other states? >> why? in waste our time.

>> john: otherwise, consultants ignore 40 of 50 states. >> this is not about a national campaign. it's about persuadable voters in a few states. >> john: today campaign managers copy rove's strategy. first identify your key voters and then get them to vote. >> your only priority is get them to vote. >> they call it gltv. >> have you a chance to vote yet? >> hundreds of volunteers can knock on their door. you have to remind them. and you call them again? >> sure. so they know where their polling place is. >> you have to make sure your votes get out there. >> john: today the phone system is automated. the phone automatically dials a

likely supporter and name pops up. campaign is called these people months before. >> we appreciate you getting out and vote. >> computer kept track if they were going to vote for their candidate. then on election day to make sure they did. >> you did? well, wonderful, thank you. >> john: if you suspect they might not vote. >> you show up in the buff. people don't vote you pick them up and take them there? >> yes, it's an art form. >> john: with we return, how campaigns manipulate people like me. gecko (clearing throat)

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>>. >> john: times i feel sorry for presidential candidates. i feel their strain because they have to face us, the media. look at the candidate's smile. they must be upset at

aggressions like this. >> they also said you are most feckless president since president carter. >> they just keep smiling and laughing. >> thank you, thank you. >> i get the impression you are trying to arouse my anger. >> one can only be angry with those that he respect. >> john: i bet mitt romney doesn't respect them when they went through the memorial site. >> governor romney, do you feel your gaffe overshadowed.... >> one of aides said kiss my [ bleep ]. >> but the candidate just smiles. they are conduit for the message. >> the usefulness is what they can carry it to the voters. >> you have a message so simple

mindeded reporters don't get too confused. >> i would never call you simple minded, but yes. >> at the '96 convention, he said build a bridge 22 times. to build that bridge. to build that bridge. >> john: all right. i would think a candidate would say to you, you want me to repeat myself? >> they really do say that. good ones, i get it and they do it. >> yes, we can. >> yes, we can. >> i look at these reporters who complain about it. you don't like the message -- too bad. stay home. >> john: but the media needs a candidate. so we follow every word mitt romney followed by a pack of

dozens of reporters and producers, sometimes by plan, more often by bus. the pack call their life living in the bubble. they called, she is what they called a campaign in-bed. she follows him around the world. >> how many cities have you been to? >> i don't know how many. >> john: you lost count? >> it's not uncommon to lose track of time of day, time zone. the room always looks the same. >> john: every day, they follow the candidates and videotape anything that might be interesting. >> when i was her age, it took four beef if i unions to do what she is doing. >> i have a camera and cables and microphone and personal guide. >> john: it's a tough job for reporters and the campaign staff.

>> the emotional and physical toll that running a presidential campaign takes on people is enormous. you are working 18 hours a day, seven days week. you have a candidate on the phone every hour that is complaining about something. you want to tell him to shut up. it requires either having an understanding wife or you are divorced. in my case i got divorced. >> if you like vegetables, if you sleep it might not be for you. but it's fascinating. >> the 18 hours days don't seem like atm it seems like it happens like that. >> john: she gets four or five hours of sleep. usually up at 5:00 in the morning and by 6:00. >> you have already received three or four e-mails from the campaign giving you an idea what the messaging will be for the day. >> john: they want something new or a mistake. >> i've been in 50 --57 states. >> john: so candidates try to